The present invention relates in general to removing meat from shells and more particularly concerns novel apparatus and techniques for removing meat from lobsters by use of an inexpensive tool in a manner that facilitates removal while sharply reducing splattering typically experienced with crackers normally used to crack a lobster claw.
The typical prior art approach involves using nutcrackers to crack the lobster shell by compressing the shell. The resultant cracking is frequently accompanied by splattering liquid in random directions from inside the shell. Thus, it is common for lobsters to be served with bibs to be worn by the eater. While protecting the covered portions of the eater, the bib does not protect those in the vicinity of the lobster eater unprotected by bibs. Furthermore, after completing the cracking, the eater normally uses a small fork to remove the meat from the cracked shell.
Accordingly, it is an important object of the invention to provide improved methods and means for removing meat from shells.
It is a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects while sharply reducing splattering in the process of separating shell and meat.
It is still a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects with a single tool that may be used both for cracking the shell and removing the meat from the cracked shell.
It is still a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects with a tool that is relatively easy and inexpensive to manufacture and sufficiently low in cost that it may be a single-use device.
It is still a further object of the invention to achieve one or more of the preceding objects while sharply reducing splatter.